As the number of patients suffering from diabetes and similar medical conditions increases, self-monitoring of blood glucose wherein the patient monitors his or her blood glucose levels has become a common practice. The purpose of monitoring the blood glucose level is to determine the concentration level and then to take corrective action, based upon whether the level is too high or too low, to bring the level back within a normal range. The failure to take corrective action can have serious medical implications. Glucose monitoring is a fact of everyday life for diabetic individuals. Failure to test blood glucose levels properly and on a regular basis can result in serious diabetes-related complications, including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, nerve damage and blindness.
A number of biosensors, such as glucose meters, are currently available that permit an individual to test the glucose level in a small sample of blood. Many of the meter designs currently available make use of a disposable test element which in combination with the meter measures the amount of glucose in the blood sample electrochemically or optically. In current glucose meters, the information displayed as a consequence of a successful blood glucose measurement is the respective blood glucose value, typically shown in mg/dL or mmol units, and perhaps the time and date the measurement was performed. This information in combination with calculation of planned or known intake of carbohydrates or planned or known activities and knowledge of other situational or individual factors is in most cases sufficient to allow diabetics to adjust or derive their dietary intake and/or an immediate dose of insulin to inject to control blood glucose level on the short-term. Also, in case of low glucose values, diabetics can detect the need for intake of sugar to avoid hypoglycemia.
The disposable test elements are typically highly sensitive to environmental conditions. Exposure to humidity in particular can stress a test element to the extent that it is incapable of providing an accurate test. Failsafes and corrections are typically implemented in measurement methods performed by meters corresponding to the particular test element. However, avoiding the adverse environmental conditions altogether is a better way to ensure more accurate test results. In order to avoid such conditions, test elements can be packaged and distributed in containers configured to prevent ingress of moisture from humidity or other sources. In some containers, desiccant material is incorporated somehow within the container, such as in the lid or cap of the container, or an insert that is left in the container with the test elements. However, it is a constant challenge to provide a desiccant material that provides optimum effectiveness. For example, a container having one type of desiccant may be effective during winter months but may not be during summer months, depending on the desiccant material's capacity to absorb and retain environmental moisture. This capacity is itself dependent on several other factors, such as shape, size, and materials.
Given the ramifications of accurate recording, reporting and analyzing of blood glucose measurements, improvements in the containers for packaging and distributing test elements used to meter blood glucose are desired.